Nature Field Guide
Keel-billed Toucan
- Spanish name
- Tucán pico arco iris / Pico canoa
- Scientific name
- Ramphastos sulfuratus
What Do Pico & Tati Think?
Pico: “Its bill has so many colors!”
Tati: “Let’s look at the throat and body too.”
Species overview
About the Keel-billed Toucan
The Keel-billed Toucan is recognized by its large, multicolored bill, dark body and bright yellow throat. The bird’s full outline is a better clue than the bill alone, because Costa Rica has several toucan species.
Toucans use their long bills to reach fruit on thin branches. Watching a bird handle food can reveal how its shape suits its forest life. A photograph documents Keel-billed Toucan at Laguna Lagarto Lodge in northern Costa Rica, while the national wildlife guide identifies the species and reports its conservation category. Keep occurrence records separate from abundance: one documented encounter does not measure how many birds use the wider landscape.
Identification
Key Features of the Keel-billed Toucan
Large bill with several bright colors.
Yellow throat and dark body.
Compare the entire silhouette with other toucans.
Habitat & range
Most frequent in wooded Caribbean lowlands. Also occurs in suitable northern Pacific woodland, Nicoya hills, foothills and parts of the Central Valley; generally less frequent there.
Local observations
Cornell Macaulay Library record ML529013301, photographed 9 January 2023, identifies the species at Laguna Lagarto Lodge. The lodge locates itself near Boca Tapada.
When to observe
Plan a quiet observation with a local guide. Weather, food availability and the chosen habitat affect what you may see; a location record does not guarantee a sighting.
Conservation & care
Stay on authorized trails or viewing routes. Give birds space, keep voices low and leave nests undisturbed. Observe without bait, feeding or recorded calls.
Conservation assessment
Costa Rica’s government wildlife guide reports IUCN Near Threatened and a decreasing trend; the page does not supply the assessment year. Source checked 7 October 2026. This is a global species category, not a count of birds in the tagged towns.
Observation activity
Sketch the bill’s color patches and the throat separately. Compare your drawing with a field guide to identify which toucan you observed.
Explore by location
Caribbean · Central Pacific · Central Valley · Guanacaste · Northern Plains · Puntarenas & the Gulf Islands · Alajuela · Boca Tapada